140 THE HORSE. 



eral fields of first class two-year-olds ; and it was generally believed,, 

 when she afterwards was beaten, that it was only because her 

 temper was so bad. Yet when this defect was so far remedied by 

 the process I am considering, that Mr. M. Dawson could ride her 

 constantly as a hack without much inconvenience, she never re- 

 covered her racing powers, and neither in private (as I have been 

 informed), nor in public, certainly, did she ever exhibit any 

 approach to her former speed. 



On the whole, therefore, it may fairly be concluded that 

 Mr. Rarey's plans are well adapted for the control of vicious horses, 

 supposing they are not subsequently 'wanted for the turf, in which 

 case the utility of the process is very questionable. As, however, 

 all our horses are not vicious, and as by the casting and gentling 

 nothing more is effected than a general control, it remains to be 

 considered how far this is useful in breaking colts for general pur- 

 poses. My own belief is that it acts by producing in the horse a 

 compound feeling of fear and gratitude, the former being the re- 

 sult of his fruitless efforts to get rid of the controlling hand of 

 man, and the latter being established from finding that hand re- 

 lieve him of his straps and then caress and "gentle" him. If, 

 therefore, any horse, even without vice, is required to exhibit to 

 his master or mistress any relations more intimate than those which 

 are usually practised in this country, great advantage will result 

 from the establishment of this fear and gratitude. With the ex- 

 ception, however, of cavalry and circus horses, we generally con- 

 tent ourselves with that amount of intercourse which is acquired 

 in the saddle, and we do not want our hacks to exhibit tricks, nor 

 do we require them to follow us about at liberty like our dogs. It 

 has been attempted to show that this particular plan gets rid of a 

 great deal of cruelty to the horse, but this is altogether unfounded, 

 for long before the great American trainer made his appearance, 

 writers on the horse had denounced its use, and though many 

 cruelly severe,breakers and grooms existed, as they still exist, yet 

 they were exceptions to the general rule. Cavalry horses, especially 

 when on service, are required to submit to the control of the men 

 in many ways which are never in demand for backing or hunting, 

 and the mere power of compelling the horse to lie down and re- 

 main on the ground is worth a great deal of trouble to acquire. 

 As far as they are concerned, I think the use of Mr. Rarey's 

 straps most valuable ; and it must be remembered that this was all 

 that the Canadian military authorities certified in their recom- 

 mendations which Mr. Rarey brought with him across the Atlantic. 

 The clever management of his partner, Mr. Groodenough, and the 

 profound secrecy maintained for so long, carried the public away 

 far beyond this, and, as in the fable of the fix who had lost his 

 tail, all those who had spent their ten guineas were anxious to 



